My 5 tips for achieving and maintaining single digit body fat
Achieving single body fat is a feat that many people want to achieve at least once in their life and to be able to maintain that can become challenging but who says you can’t be the one. I’ll be sharing with you the tools that helped me achieve single digit body fat and how I am able to maintain it.
PROTEIN IS YOUR BEST FRIEND: I’m sure most of you have all heard all the positive influence protein has on our body. A high protein intake will boost your metabolism, reduce your appetite, reduce sugar cravings, and aids in growth and repair of muscle tissue damage. Protein increases the levels of the satiety hormone in your body (GLP-1) while simultaneously reducing hunger hormones (ghrelin). After you eat your body will naturally use the calories to digest and metabolize what you ate, this is called the thermic effect. Protein has a much higher thermic effect in comparison to other macros (carbs, fats, etc..). Because of this thermic effect the body naturally burns more calories, even while you’re asleep. I personally don’t track or weigh my food, however aim to consume 0.5-0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight. The goal is for those proteins to come from quality meats or dairy like chicken, fish, eggs, lean cuts of steak, lean ground beef, greek yogurt and cottage cheese. Protein supplements are always invited to the cookout such as protein powders and bars but be sure to read the labels and check they contain little sugar and at the very least contain over 2 grams of dietary fiber.
PRIORITIZE SLEEP: We’ve all heard the importance of this like clockwork. It is essential to aim for 7-8 hours of sleep for achieving and maintaining single digit body fat. I must say I am not perfect every night, sometimes ill end up getting 6 hours, but I aim for at-least 7 every night. Through my experience i’ve found that I perform my best physically and mentally on 6 1/2 - 7 hours but it can vary from person to person. I can operate on 6 hours of sleep, I won’t feel or perform my best but it’s manageable. Having the right amount of sleep aids in muscle recovery, regeneration of stronger mitochondria (mitophagy), hormone regulation, and so much more. It’s important to note that going to bed early is a key role. Exercise the discipline of divorcing social media use before bed and get the sleep your mind and body desire every night. The longer you stay up the more tempted you become to snack. Before you know it you can find yourself in a pint of ice cream or a bowl of frosted flakes. Which leads me into my next tip…
SNACK RIGHT: Snacking is an area where most people struggle. If we find ourselves in a state of boredom or stressed from work it’s so easy to find ourselves halfway done with a party size of ULTRA-PROCESSED chips in 15 minutes. If we are going to snack we must do it right and this involves snacking on food with high satiety levels and dietary fiber. This includes fruit like apples, pears, berries, boiled eggs, edamame, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and maybe baby carrots with some hummus. Get creative like your local granola moms and slice some sweet potatoes into fry formation and bake them in your oven or air fry them. Perhaps season up some broccoli and toss them in the air fryer as well for a crunchy snack. Always remember if you’re prioritizing protein and fiber with every meal you’ll be less inclined to snack throughout the day. When my meals contain high volumes of protein and fiber I have no desire to snack.
INCREASE WORKOUT INTENSITY: Diet is 80% of the work but 20% comes down to your grit. You must work hard in your strength training and cardio sessions. If you’re able to have a fluid conversation with the person next to you, you’re not pushing yourself and you wont make any significant progress. Mixing cardio at least 3-5 days a week with strength training will not only make you progress faster but it will make you a more well rounded athlete. Finding cardio that you love will make maintaining single digit fat a lot easier. This includes anything from jogging to playing a sport.
WALK YOUR ASS OFF: Apart from gym and cardio, simply moving more does wonders for your body. If you can walk to your pharmacy, go walk instead of taking the car, choose the farthest parking spot from whatever store your going to, and take the stairs instead of the elevator. Those little things provide an advantageous affect on your body and will only encourage your mind to get used to doing the harder task. If you have to take a business call, find a place where you can walk while on the phone. If you’re like me who’s still a student studying for a test or exam; make some flashcards and review the notes while you walk. I find that I retain more information that way, maybe it could work for you too. Low intensity cardio such as walking activates the fat storage in your body as its main source of fuel. You won’t burn more calories from a walk in comparison to a run or doing other high intensity cardio; however walking is an accessible and efficient outlet that anyone can do.
We shouldn’t just see exercise as windows of time in the gym but rather focus on making it a lifestyle!
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